Poster submarine class Royal Navy

The Astute class is a class of seven nuclear attack submarines (SSN) commanded by the Royal Navy.

This new class replaces the Trafalgar and Swiftsure class SNAs from the 2010s. The first was launched in 2007 and put into service on August 27, 2010.

At their launch, the Astute type SSN were the largest SSN in Europe and remained so until the launch, in 2019, of the first of the French submarines of the Suffren class, longer (99.5 m) although less. heavy.

The Astutes are the largest, most advanced and powerful attack submarines ever used by the Royal Navy, combining leading sensors, design and weapons in one versatile vessel.

The Astutes Sonar 2076 sonar suite has the power of processing 2,000 laptops, and owns 13,000 hydrophones, providing the Royal Navy with the largest ears of any sonar system currently in service.

In 2012, during mock battles with the latest US Navy submarine USS New Mexico, Americans were reported to be "baffled" by Astute's capabilities.

7 units are planned in total, for commissioning extending from 2010 to 2024.